Survivor: Older Seasons vs Later Seasons

I'm currently watching season 2 (still into it, so no spoilers, please!) and while I'm enjoying it very much, I think I prefer the later seasons. This season is a lot about the hunger, too much so, imo. There is very little on-air strategy discussion compared to the later seasons I've seen. (Who feels like scheming when you're starving?) The challenges don't seem as intricate or clever or as interesting and of course there's no HII. I like the HII, I think it adds a "wild-card" kind of element to the game.

These earlier seasons were certainly a stripped down, bare-bones version of game play, which has its appeal, but overall I think I prefer the later seasons, where there are more bells and whistles making the game play a bit more complicated.

I'm slightly biased, as I quit watching after 20 seasons because I didn't like the show Survivor had turned into. The cast is drawn from models and acting wanna-bees, the drama is greatly contrived, and as you note, there isn't as much surviving left on Survivor. The producers want drama, they got it.

I liked it before everyone knew how to play. When you had to scheme for food or water, when there was a chance real people (the players) would react in ways real people do. I'm not against change, or HII, or 2nd chances, or Hall of Fame shows. But I got tired of being overtly manipulated by the producers. With fake drama and over-the-top acting.

I'm slightly biased, as I quit watching after 20 seasons because I didn't like the show Survivor had turned into. The cast is drawn from models and acting wanna-bees, the drama is greatly contrived, and as you note, there isn't as much surviving left on Survivor. The producers want drama, they got it.

I liked it before everyone knew how to play. When you had to scheme for food or water, when there was a chance real people (the players) would react in ways real people do. I'm not against change, or HII, or 2nd chances, or Hall of Fame shows. But I got tired of being overtly manipulated by the producers. With fake drama and over-the-top acting.

YMMV.

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This. I agree (although to some extent, you still had models and actors early on as well). Nobody knew how to play. Season 2 was Austrailian Outback, and because it was in desert surroundings you got food being such an important issue. S3 was in Africa, same thing. It was more about Survival and less about game play and I liked it better. It's what made it interesting. But since S3, almost all locations were in some sort of tropical climate. So the surroundings were less important to the game play. You notice most of the newer seasons they don't even make a big deal about the location anymore. Many of the more recent locations have been used already at least once.

Of course I'm an advocate of changing up the location, and maybe even going to a less tropical area to make the game different and more interesting (I've been advocating Alaska for a few years now...in the summer...when the weather is reasonable. But I get that there will be less bikini time.

This. I agree (although to some extent, you still had models and actors early on as well). Nobody knew how to play. Season 2 was Austrailian Outback, and because it was in desert surroundings you got food being such an important issue. S3 was in Africa, same thing. It was more about Survival and less about game play and I liked it better. It's what made it interesting. But since S3, almost all locations were in some sort of tropical climate. So the surroundings were less important to the game play. You notice most of the newer seasons they don't even make a big deal about the location anymore. Many of the more recent locations have been used already at least once.

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Agreed that S2 and S3 were far more about having enough food to survive. I think the producers realized that this made for pretty dull TV because the players were way too lethargic to actually do anything. So they obviously made a decision after S3 to give the players more food and to make the show more about the challenges and the interpersonal dynamics than it is about the physical survival skills. And I'm totally OK with that, because I don't see any value in watching people starve or lay in the shelter all day long because they have no energy to move.

As for the locations, they made a change a couple of years ago and instead of filming the fall season in the summer in one location, then taking a break, then filming the spring season in the fall in a different location, they now film both seasons back to back in the same location, with only about 7-10 days between seasons. They've done this for the last 8 seasons, and presumably will continue to do so.

S19: Samoa
S20: Samoa
S21: Nicaragua
S22: Nicaragua
S23: Samoa
S24: Samoa
S25: Philippines
S26: Philippines
S27 (this upcoming fall): Philippines (not sure if this location is close enough to the previous two locations that they could keep the same base camp as before.
S28 (this upcoming spring): We can be pretty certain it will be in the same location as S27.

I agree that the show was made better by giving the contestants more food and making the show less about survival and more about interpersonal dynamics. But since it's no longer a ratings juggernaut (and hasn't been for a while), they have gotten too gimmicky with the casting and the rules. Season 5-18 where the glory-days for me.

I don't like Russell Hantz and I don't think he is a great player (certainly not as good as he thinks he is!); but he has had an undeniable influence on the show. Not for the better, IMO. I think the producers fell in love with having a villain for villains-sake after Russell. As a result we've had multiple appearances for Russell, Brandon Hantz, Phillip and now Tyson and Colton. Ugh.

I think overall seasons 1-12 or so are *consistently* better than the ones that follow. However, season 20 (Heroes vs Villains) is my all-time favorite season, full of dramatic twists and really strong game play by Russell and Parvati, and having rewatched it, I'd say Sandra as well.

I think overall seasons 1-12 or so are *consistently* better than the ones that follow. However, season 20 (Heroes vs Villains) is my all-time favorite season, full of dramatic twists and really strong game play by Russell and Parvati, and having rewatched it, I'd say Sandra as well.

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That has been on marathon in tvgn. they left off where Boston Rob And Russel had it out. Great season.

Agreed that S2 and S3 were far more about having enough food to survive. I think the producers realized that this made for pretty dull TV because the players were way too lethargic to actually do anything. So they obviously made a decision after S3 to give the players more food and to make the show more about the challenges and the interpersonal dynamics than it is about the physical survival skills. And I'm totally OK with that, because I don't see any value in watching people starve or lay in the shelter all day long because they have no energy to move.

As for the locations, they made a change a couple of years ago and instead of filming the fall season in the summer in one location, then taking a break, then filming the spring season in the fall in a different location, they now film both seasons back to back in the same location, with only about 7-10 days between seasons. They've done this for the last 8 seasons, and presumably will continue to do so.

S19: Samoa
S20: Samoa
S21: Nicaragua
S22: Nicaragua
S23: Samoa
S24: Samoa
S25: Philippines
S26: Philippines
S27 (this upcoming fall): Philippines (not sure if this location is close enough to the previous two locations that they could keep the same base camp as before.
S28 (this upcoming spring): We can be pretty certain it will be in the same location as S27.

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To me at least, part of my interest in Survivor has always been how they interact with their surroundings and in many cases the culture and the natives. That part of the game has gone away and I miss it. I remember S3 when their was a rewards challenge where they went to help kids in one of the local villages. I really think it changed perspective of some of the Survivors. I liked the season they did the pirate theme and integrated the locale into game, or the Mayan and Chinese one. Now, it's meh. It has lost some of it's charm and it forces the producers to find some stupid gimmicks for the game. Oh well, still going to watch, but the game has lost something for me, and I think that's part of it. They might as well save productions costs and play the game in the states. There's tropical rain forests in Florida or Hawaii for example.

They might as well save productions costs and play the game in the states. There's tropical rain forests in Florida or Hawaii for example.

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No way is it more expensive for them to film in third-world countries than it would be to film in the States. And then there are all the legal issues they don't have to worry about by filming outside the US as well.

There is so much predictability now that leads to the early strategies that wasn't there early on.

The surprise of combining of the tribes into 1 has given way to the contestants pretty much knowing when it's coming and planning accordingly.

On the other hand, the competitions have evolved and have become more creative.

The worst thing for me has been the constant player retreads. I would really like a season of ALL new players. Period. I don't even care about redemption island, hidden idols, or any other gimmicks - seeing an entirely new cast would be the biggest twist of all!

As others have already said, I really used to enjoy the whole "man vs. nature" aspect of the show. I don't remember which season it was, but I thought it was so cool when that flood washed away their entire camp. It's been so long since something crazy like that happened.

As others have already said, I really used to enjoy the whole "man vs. nature" aspect of the show. I don't remember which season it was, but I thought it was so cool when that flood washed away their entire camp. It's been so long since something crazy like that happened.

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That was season 2, which I've just finished watching. I thought it got pretty boring last few eps. As I wrote earlier, the hunger thing just took over the whole game. Toward the end, those people just didn't have the energy to be interesting.

If they could figure out an effective way to combat the day 1 alliances, it would be much better. I liked the early seasons, but they wouldn't sustain the show for a dozen+ years.

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I agree. One suggestion I've read here and elsewhere is to shuffle the tribes more often to shake up the alliances. But to me that makes it too random. Alliances need to be a part of the game. The "backstab" is fun. As is when one person brags about being the swing vote that everyone caters to and then gets the boot.

One thing that might be fun to try is having NO merge. Play out two tribes until the end. The winner of tribe A faces the winner of tribe B. Since the Jury will have members of both tribes, you'll have to figure out a way to convince both sides that you are worthy of winning if you make it to the end.

One thing that might be fun to try is having NO merge. Play out two tribes until the end. The winner of tribe A faces the winner of tribe B. Since the Jury will have members of both tribes, you'll have to figure out a way to convince both sides that you are worthy of winning if you make it to the end.

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Another suggestion that I've made before is to have one big tribe at the beginning and only divide the folks temporarily for the IC. Losing tribe goes to TC either right away or after a day (can see merits to either one). Would mean a group of 5-7 could not control things right away. Would force people to have to interact with almost everyone.